‘The Masked Singer’ Recap: ‘King of Trash Talk’ Unmasked and Upset
In the fourth episode of The Masked Singer Season 10, four masked contestants returned to the stage Wednesday for a special 2000s-themed evening. Panelist Ken Jeong traded his bomber jacket for Grey’s Anatomy scrubs and Jenny McCarthy donned an early-aughts Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake-inspired Canadian tuxedo.
After a final smackdown between contestants S’More and Pickle to Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down,” it was revealed that Pickle was none other than comedian, actor and podcaster Michael Rapaport. After the reveal, host Nick Cannon said it was clear that the “king of trash talk” was pissed off.
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“I’m not even gonna start with you [Nick]. I’m gonna start with you first, Ken! You fake-ass doctor!” exclaimed a steaming Rapaport. “You, Robin Thicke, sang about Beverly Hills you ‘shit where you grew up.’ And Jenny! I’m callin’ Donnie [Wahlberg] tonight! I’m callin’ Donnie tonight! And Lance Bass, where is he? Bye, bye, bye you fuck!”
Following an early performance by Masked Singer Season Six winner Jewel, who strummed and sang “Standing Still,” Pickle shared hints that he was from the decade of internet beef, butting heads with NBA players, award-winning directors, Real Housewives, and bloggers. Known for bringing BPE, or “Big Pickle Energy,” Pickle croaked to Weezer’s “Beverly Hills” as he bounced across the stage, leading panelists Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger to suspect Joel McHale.
“Here’s the dill: it was juicy, it was crunchy, it was salty,” Thicke said. “It was amazing.”
The other panelists incorrectly guessed Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn (?), and later Howard Stern and Conan O’Brien, as if the latter two would do this show in a million years.
Rapaport has a salty side. Back in April 2021, the actor shared screenshots of homophobic and misogynistic messages he received from all-world basketball star Kevin Durant after Rapaport criticized Durant’s post-game interview. The NBA called the Phoenix Suns forward’s messages “offensive and derogatory,” leading to a fine and apology. Rapaport’s feuded with LeBron James, took jabs at Real Housewives of Atlanta regular Kenya Moore during one of his countless appearances on Watch What Happens Live, and often justifies racist remarks by referencing his Black wife. And while working for Barstool Sports, he insulted a fan who urged the sports network to conduct a poll on Rapaport’s popularity. Rapaport was fired from the company and a defamation and breach of contract lawsuit soon followed.
“Having a public feud really is performance art that I’ve perfected,” Rapaport boasted prior to the unmasking, adding that he has since mended fences with his adversaries.
Outside of his catfights, Rapaport has rubbed elbows with Martin Scorsese, Martin Short and Quentin Tarantino, as hinted in The Masked Singer, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Will Smith. He’s also starred in Friends as Phoebe’s cop boyfriend and the TV drama Boston Public. Most recently, he’s expressed his support for Israel and condemned those celebrating Hamas airstrikes on social media amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
As for the remaining contestants, Gazelle sang Britney Spears’ “Lucky,” S’More lulled Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah,” and Cow closed out the show with Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River.” The episode also featured NSYNC’s Lance Bass and The Office’s Kate Flannery delivering post-performance clues.
In last week’s episode, Vanderpump Rules supervillain Tom Sandoval was revealed as the Diver, and in earlier episodes Anthony Anderson and Demi Lovato were unmasked.
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